As mentioned above, I have completed the Ki-21 now. Please follow along as I describe the last few steps.
I sprayed on a thin coat of my home brewed flattening agent, using some Future, mixed with Mr. Color Levelling Thinner, and some Tamiya XF-21 Flat Base. This knocked down the shine.
I only sprayed it on the upper surfaces.
I made the complicated antennae assembly, using EZ line. It looks like the antennae base is supported by cables for additional strength on the real plane. This is a triangular arrangement that goes both forward and off to each side. I ran the antennae lead into the radio operator compartment, by attaching it to the insulator that is molded into the spine of the aircraft. This is located just behind the DF loop on the top of the fuselage.
Luckily, I found this photo showing the antennae arrangements. If you look close you can see how the supporting cables were ran.
I made a spring and attached it to the fin. On the real aircraft, this spring helped to keep the cables properly tensioned.
Then it was time to start removing the masking. With my fingers crossed, I began this procedure with care, hoping all the while that nothing seeped under the masks.
This picture shows the nose cone and nearby windows.
This shows the dorsal gunner position. You can see my mistake here, when I applied the Japanese Navy Ame Iro color under the framework prior to gluing the canopy in place permanently. If I were to build another one of these, (chances are I will) this rookie mistake would definitely be avoided on the next time !
This shows how the pilots greenhouse looked after removing the masks. The ICM clear parts are very transparent. You can also see the radio antennae very nicely here too.
The clear navigation lights were added next. I painted the inside of the clear parts using Tamiya Clear Blue and Clear Red. The upper wing lights were also painted at this time using the same colors. But for these lights, I used a tiny dot of Molotow Chrome as the base. It worked out well.
The exhaust was repainted, since they were covered in RLM 76 colored overspray. In hind sight, I should have used a masking fluid on them prior to painting the camouflage. Another easier alternative would have been to install both engines after the camouflage was sprayed on. This would have made it much easier to paint the exhaust after the exterior color(s) are applied.
The nose mounted MG barrel was finally attached. There's no way it would have survived this far during the build.
I have seen several pictures of various Ki-21's where the nose mounted MG was oriented in different positions. Some show the nose glass like I have built mine, while others show it oriented 180 degrees off.
My guess is the entire nose cone "could" have been rotated, similar to how it was done on the German Heinkel He-111. That is a possibility.
This shows how Miss Sally looks right now.
As soon as the weather clears up. I'll betaking some pictures of her outside and post her in the headlines.
Thank you for following along.
As always, comments are encouraged.
Thanks for stopping by.
